At St Francis de Sales, we are committed to an evidence-based approach to teaching literacy, grounded in our belief that strong literacy skills are essential for positive life outcomes. Our goal is to provide a rich and engaging literacy program that builds student confidence and capability in reading and viewing, writing, speaking, and listening, all within a supportive and stimulating learning environment.
In the early years children receive explicit and structured instruction in reading, writing, and spelling, with a strong emphasis on phonemic awareness, phonics, and handwriting. Our Prep and Year One teachers deliver a carefully planned and sequenced approach to teaching Systematic Synthetic Phonics. We use trusted programs such as Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) and UFLI Foundations to support this work.
From Year Two through to Six, explicit instruction in spelling and morphology continues to build students’ understanding of how words work, supporting both reading and writing development. Literature and novel study units engage students with rich, meaningful texts while also deepening their comprehension and appreciation of language. Across all levels, students are supported to develop and refine their writing through focused sentence-level instruction and structured opportunities to plan, draft, edit, and publish a variety of text types.
At SFDS, a daily literacy block is in place across all year levels. These blocks are purposefully structured to include both whole-class and targeted instruction, allowing teachers to meet the diverse needs of learners through intentional differentiated teaching.
Literacy Leader | Amelia Morse
